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HOLLENBECK: Patent leather is big again |
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Monday, 31 March 2008 |
 Patent leather is experiencing a bit of a comeback, and I love it. Starting with my Mary Janes as a little girl, I’ve always enjoyed shiny shoes.
Of course, they had to be black until after Easter. The white patent leather ones could come out after that spring moment, but they had to be put away right after Labor Day. If the fashion police hadn’t cited me for that violation, my Southern mother would have.
I can’t say I’ve gotten too far away from this rule for footwear. There are those who say the old Southern maxim regarding white shoes is passe, but I still can’t wear them outside my residence except in the season Mamma would have sworn the Almighty set aside for such. If I stumped my toe or worse while wearing them, I’d suspect she was reaching out from heaven to straighten me out.
I have a pair of white leather, backless sandals that I wear as house shoes and occasionally am struck by a pang of guilt as I flit through the house and yard. It’s silly, but true nonetheless.
My mother apparently wasn’t the only matriarch who took the white shoes rule seriously. I heard this account about a young woman in another state, who was getting all gussied up for a hoity-toity horse race held the day before Easter.
Patterned after the Kentucky Derby, spectators at the race would wear their new spring fashions. The woman had her outfit all picked out but had chosen white (gasp!) shoes to go with it. Her mother found out and gave her money to go out and buy a new pair, rather than have her wear white shoes one day before Easter.
Southern women take these things seriously. Times have changed, but most still wouldn’t be caught dead in white shoes at the wrong time.
In some Southern states, women won’t put white on their tootsies until Memorial Day. That’s taking the rule farther than we did, but I understand how ingrained it can be if that’s the way you’re brought up.
But back to patent leather, which basically is a leather that has been coated with a high gloss finish so that it has exceptional shine. Patent leather shoes are relatively easy to care for, but something I read the other day said it’s best to use products actually made for this type of material, rather than home remedies such as petroleum jelly.
I found this interesting. My shoes were always shiny because Mamma wouldn’t have had it any other way, yet we never had any designated commercial substance to use in caring for patient leather. We also never used petroleum jelly to clean shoes, but somewhere back in time we started using a biscuit — yep, a biscuit — to add sheen to these shoes. Maybe it was the fat content in the bread — I’m not sure — but something added sparkle, and they always looked good.
In case someone is wondering, the humans in the family didn’t eat the biscuit afterward. Mamma wouldn’t even give it to Bobby, our rat terrier, or any of the cats, but would have me crumble it up to give to the birds. Her thinking was that anything that could eat worms and survive would have no problems with a dirty biscuit.
While the gloss of patent leather lends itself to dressy occasions, shiny leather footwear doesn’t have to be confined to just formal wear in today’s fashion world. Casual shoes and boots also come in patent finishes that are considered chic with jeans.
Actually, patent leather also isn’t necessarily the best choice for a really dressy event. The shine can make a shoe seem too bulky or heavy for very elegant dress. Sometimes something like this needs satin or peau de soie or some other delicate fabric.
As I was thinking back on some of the patent leather shoes of my past, I recall a pair of four-inch, black patent pumps with pointed toes. They were absolutely horrible for my feet, but looked great. I can’t say I felt tall in them, but neither did I feel short, which was a big plus for me.
The first time I wore them — stupidly — was to perform in a Schola Cantorum concert at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I stood in one spot for more than an hour in that brand-new, high-heeled footwear, which was a sure prescription for misery. My feet and half my legs were numb by the end of the concert, and I had to hang onto another singer in order to get off the stage.
Later, I wore those same shoes with a sleeveless black and white, jersey-like dress that I accessorized with a wide black patent, waist-cinching belt. The top was black and white print and the skirt solid white. It’s one of those frocks I remember as really good-looking, though I might have a different opinion today. (I know I’d need a bigger belt.)
I did some research on the origin of patent leather, which reportedly began in the early 19th century and owes its invention to Seth Boyden of Newark, N.J. In 1818, Boyden began to investigate the possibility of creating a version of leather that was treated in such a way that the material retained its desirable qualities of protection and durability. At the same time, this new type of leather would also have an appearance that would be decidedly more dressy than work boots and similar leather goods.
Using a formula that was based on a series of treatments using layers of linseed oil based coats, the new shiny leather began commercial production on in September 1819. Boyden’s efforts resulted in the production of glossy leather that quickly caught on as a complement for formal dress.
I haven’t had any white patient leather shoes in a lot of years — I have had black and red — but no white. I think I’ll look for some soon.
Last week I wore a pair of white shoes in a synthetic material to work. It was the first time they had been on my feet since last year, and I felt a little uncomfortable.
Yes, Easter has passed, so Mamma wouldn’t have had a valid reason to tsk-tsk because I had rushed the season, but it’s still March and it just didn’t feel right.
Lynda Hollenbeck is associate editor of the Courier.
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